537
06-19-2003, 10:00 AM
95' Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T rear brakes
This past weekend I purchased some silver cadmium slotted rotors and Axxis Metal Master pads for the rear brakes. I'm waiting until I need to replace the rotors in the front before I purchase those.
Access to a lift saved me a lot of time, but you can do the same with a couple jackstands.
Replacing the old, worn brake pads/rotors
1. Remove both rear wheels
(The steps below apply to both sides, passenger and driver)
2. Disassemble the brake caliper and zip tie it to a coil on the rear suspension spring/suspension link (Never, EVER let it hang by the brake line itself)
3. Ditch the old brake pads
4. On the centric hub of the old rotor should be two rotor removal holes - Use a 8 X 1.25 bolt in each of them to convince the rotor to get the fuck out
5. It is at this point where you decide if you want to sandblast (resurface) the rotor or to replace it with a new one. I purchased new ones because I wanted something shiny and new. Whichever you choose, slide your rotor onto the wheel studs
6. Start bolting the caliper onto the mounting bracket behind the rotor, compressing the caliper piston enough to fit a new brake pad
7. Finish assembling the caliper with the new pads in place
Bleeding the brakes
This is a two person job unless you have SpeedBleeders installed.
Make sure you have a bottle of brake fluid. One is enough to flush, bleed, and fill your entire brake system. Fashion a ghetto-rigged fluid-drip system with a piece of cardboard. The idea is to leave the bottle of fluid on top of your brake fluid resevoir in order to have a constant supply of clean brake fluid to replace the old crusty used up stuff you're bleeding. In essence, you're making the brake fluid resevoir bigger.
One person sits in the car, ready to step on the brakes on command. The actual bleeder sits with a 10mmm wrench and tells the brake stomper to start pumping the brakes. While the brakes are being pumped, loosen the 10mm fluid valve to expel the old fluid along with the air in the system. Keep this up until you see the new fluid start to squrit out, then have the brake stomper pump two/three times and then hold the brakes down. Fluid will be constantly squirting out at this time, so tighten the 10mm valve until it stops. Repeat these steps for the other side of the car.
The process is completed by putting the wheels back on the car, filling the brake resevoir up to the fill line and screwing the cap back on.
Breaking in the new pads/rotors
For the first week or two, Be sure to not slam not the brakes. This is to prevent warping of the rotors and also to properly bed the new pads. Slamming on the brakes during this time carries the potential to turn your new pads into kitty hair if it hasn't properly been heat-cycled. You can properly bed the new pads by braking with progressively more pedal effort as you stop.
In Conlcusion
Originally I had developed a careless attitude in regards to the rear brakes. Ignorantly I subscribed to the myth that the rear brakes hardly do any work at all. While it is true that the front brakes carry more weight when it comes to bringing the car to a halt, the rear brakes help tremendously in a high speed to low speed transition. My car now has a higher threshold for braking, and locking the wheels takes a lot more effort than before. I love my brakes.
This past weekend I purchased some silver cadmium slotted rotors and Axxis Metal Master pads for the rear brakes. I'm waiting until I need to replace the rotors in the front before I purchase those.
Access to a lift saved me a lot of time, but you can do the same with a couple jackstands.
Replacing the old, worn brake pads/rotors
1. Remove both rear wheels
(The steps below apply to both sides, passenger and driver)
2. Disassemble the brake caliper and zip tie it to a coil on the rear suspension spring/suspension link (Never, EVER let it hang by the brake line itself)
3. Ditch the old brake pads
4. On the centric hub of the old rotor should be two rotor removal holes - Use a 8 X 1.25 bolt in each of them to convince the rotor to get the fuck out
5. It is at this point where you decide if you want to sandblast (resurface) the rotor or to replace it with a new one. I purchased new ones because I wanted something shiny and new. Whichever you choose, slide your rotor onto the wheel studs
6. Start bolting the caliper onto the mounting bracket behind the rotor, compressing the caliper piston enough to fit a new brake pad
7. Finish assembling the caliper with the new pads in place
Bleeding the brakes
This is a two person job unless you have SpeedBleeders installed.
Make sure you have a bottle of brake fluid. One is enough to flush, bleed, and fill your entire brake system. Fashion a ghetto-rigged fluid-drip system with a piece of cardboard. The idea is to leave the bottle of fluid on top of your brake fluid resevoir in order to have a constant supply of clean brake fluid to replace the old crusty used up stuff you're bleeding. In essence, you're making the brake fluid resevoir bigger.
One person sits in the car, ready to step on the brakes on command. The actual bleeder sits with a 10mmm wrench and tells the brake stomper to start pumping the brakes. While the brakes are being pumped, loosen the 10mm fluid valve to expel the old fluid along with the air in the system. Keep this up until you see the new fluid start to squrit out, then have the brake stomper pump two/three times and then hold the brakes down. Fluid will be constantly squirting out at this time, so tighten the 10mm valve until it stops. Repeat these steps for the other side of the car.
The process is completed by putting the wheels back on the car, filling the brake resevoir up to the fill line and screwing the cap back on.
Breaking in the new pads/rotors
For the first week or two, Be sure to not slam not the brakes. This is to prevent warping of the rotors and also to properly bed the new pads. Slamming on the brakes during this time carries the potential to turn your new pads into kitty hair if it hasn't properly been heat-cycled. You can properly bed the new pads by braking with progressively more pedal effort as you stop.
In Conlcusion
Originally I had developed a careless attitude in regards to the rear brakes. Ignorantly I subscribed to the myth that the rear brakes hardly do any work at all. While it is true that the front brakes carry more weight when it comes to bringing the car to a halt, the rear brakes help tremendously in a high speed to low speed transition. My car now has a higher threshold for braking, and locking the wheels takes a lot more effort than before. I love my brakes.